Exercising apparatus with crankshaft operable selectively by foot pedals or hand levers



Nov. 26, 1963 c F HANKE EXERCISING APPARATUS WIT'H ('JRANKSHAFT OPERABLE SELECTIVELY BY FOOT PEDALS OR HAND LEVERS Filed July 3, 1961 Fig./ 3 30 34 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Clarence F.

Hanks INVENTOR.

c. F. HANKE 3,112,108 ARATUS WITH CRANKSHAFT OPERABLE SELECTIVELY BY FOOT PEDALS OR HAND LEVERS Nov. 26, 1963 EXERCISING APP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1961 United States Patent 3 112,108 EXERCISING APPARATUS WITH CRANKSHAFT OPERABLE SELECTIVELY BY FGOT PEDALS OR HAND LEVERS Clarence F. Hanke, P.0. Box 264, Okawville, Ill. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,554 4 Claims. (Cl. 272-58) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in exercising apparatus, and in particular the invention concerns itself with the provision of apparatus for exercising, developing, strengthening, articulating and coordinating the action of muscles of per-sons afflicted with paralysis or other diseases or injuries which impair their ability' to walk.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an apparatus of the character herein described which may be conveniently and effectively employed by such persons for material improvement of their condition, if not for total relief, the apparatus being particularly well adapted for use by the patient himself in accordance with his individual physical requirements, and being adjustable in many structural respects to suit the patients needs.

Some other advantages of the invention reside in its simple construction, easy and convenient use, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will subsequently become apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the exercising apparatus in accordance with the invention, with portions broken away to reveal its construction;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 44 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 6-6 in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 77 in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the exercising apparatus in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10* and embodies in its construction a substantially rectangular open frame 12 supported in an elevated position by a plurality of legs 14, the frame including a pair of side members 16 and cross members 18, 2t), 22, as will be clearly apparent. The cross member 20, disposed intermediate the ends of the frame, constitutes a seat (also designated as 20) for accommodating a user as indicated by the dotted lines 24 in FIGURE 4, the user being disposed in a reclining position with his back resting on is backrest 26. The backrest is pivoted or hinged to the seat 20 for raising and lowering movement, this pivotal or hinged connection being illustrated at 28, and an extensible brace 30g provided with a bolt and slot adjustment 32, is employed for adjustably sustaining the backrest 26 in a selected position. The backrest may be lowered to a horizontal position substantially flush with the frame 12, wherein it is supported by abutment blocks 34 provided on the inside of the frame side members 16. A suitable cushioning pad or mattress 36 is provided on the seat 20' and backrest 26, for obvious reasons.

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A crankshaft 38 extends transversely of the frame 12 in spaced relationfrom the seat 20 and is rotatably journalled in suitable bushings or bearings 40' provided in the side members 16 and also in a central frame reinforcing member 42 which extends from the cross member 13 to the seat 20. The crankshaft has two throws 44, spaced apart, having mounted thereon a pair of foot pedals 46. As is best shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, each of these pedals includes a base or sole plate 48, a heel rest 50 and an open toe cap 52, and a subplate 54 underlies the plate 48, being secured thereto by suitable bolts 56. A block 58- is secured to the underside of the sub-plate 54 and is formed with a transverse bore to accommodate the associated throw 44 of the crankshaft 38, the block being attached to the subplate by suitable bolts 59'.

The toe cap 52 may be adjustably attached to the plates 48, 54 by one of the aforementioned bolts 56 disposed in an arcuate slot 60 formed in the plates 48, 54, and it will be noted that the underside of the block 58 is provided with an eye 62, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

A pair of oscillatory hand levers 64 are pivoted as at 66 to the frame side members '16 at the opposite sides of the seat 20' and project upwardly therefrom, and these levers are operatively connected by extensible links 68 to a pair of discs 70 secured to the ends of the crankshaft 38 for rotation therewith. The length of the links 68 is adjustable by means of a bolt and slot adjustment 72, and it will be apparent that when the apparatus is in use with the patient or user in a reclining position on the seat 20 and backrest 26 having his feet engaged with the foot pedals 46 and his hands grasping the levers 64, rotation imparted to the crankshaft by the feet will be transmitted through the links 68 to the levers 64 for oscillating the latter and moving the patients arms therewith. Also, movement of the arms causing oscillation of the levers will produce or assist in the production of rotation of the crankshaft, thus correspondingly moving the patients feet in the foot pedals. Moreover, if the use of hands is not required to assist movement of the feet, nevertheless, rotation of the crankshaft caused by movement of the feet will produce a movement of the arms for training the patient to coordinate arm movement with leg movement as in the course of normal walking.

Means are also provide-d for introducing a variable resistance to rotation of the crankshaft 38 so as to progressively train the patient in strengthening of his muscles. These means comprise adjustable weights 74 connected to cords or cables 76 which pass over a pair of pulleys 78 at the underside of a cross bar 89 of a suitable supporting structure or framework 82 which may be either separate from the frame 12 as shown, or structurally joined to the frame, as desired. After passing over the pulleys 78, the cables 76 pass under a pair of guide pulleys 84 carried by the cross member 18 and are connected to the aforementioned eyes 62 of the two foot pedals 46. Although the arrangement is such that during rotation of the crankshaft 38 the cables 76 cause one of the weights 74 to rise while the other weight falls, the effective mass of the two weights may' be individually varied so that either is heavier than the other, thus offering a greater resistance to rotation of the crankshaft by either foot.

A transverse hand bar 86, provided at the ends thereof with mounting arms 88, may be attached to the levers 64 so that it is disposed above the seat 20 and backrest 36, whereby the patient may grasp either the hand bar or the hand levers, as desired, during the exercise.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation as described and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an exercising apparatus, the combination of a horizontal supporting frame, means including a seat and a backrest on said frame for accommodating a user in a reclining position, a crankshaft rotatably journalled in the frame in spaced relation from said seat, a pair of oppositely directed throws on said crankshaft, a pair of foot pedals provided on said throws, a pair of hand levers pivoted to the frame at opposite sides of said seat for oscillating movement in planes parallel to said frame, a pair of plates secured to the opposite ends of said crankshaft and rotatable therewith, and a pair of links interconnecting the lever and plate at each side of the frame, each link being secured to the plate at a point spaced radially outward from the point of securernent to the crankshaft thereby providing for rotation of the crankshaft by oscillation of the levers and oscillation of the levers by rotation of the crankshaft.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein each link is adjustable and includes two elongated members having a bolt and slot adjustment therebetween.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 together with a transverse hand bar connected to and extending between the levers for movement therewith.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein each of said foot pedals includes a bottom plate, a heel rest and an open toe cap provided on said bottom plate, a subplate underlying said bottom plate, said sub-plate being rotatably' secured to the crankshaft, and means adjustably securing said bottom plate to said sub-plate for transverse adjustment, said bottom plate adapted to be secured in a variety of transverse adjusted positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Paul July 23, 1940 Silver-ton et al Sept. 14, 1954 Diego Feb. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia May 26, 1949 Austria May 10, 1961 25 (Corresponding to US. No. 3,017,180, Jan. 16, 1962) 

1. IN AN EXERCISING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION OF A HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING FRAME, MEANS INCLUDING A SEAT AND A BACKREST ON SAID FRAME FOR ACCOMMODATING A USER IN A RECLINING POSITION, A CRANKSHAFT ROTATABLY JOURNALLED IN THE FRAME IN SPACED RELATION FROM SAID SEAT, A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DIRECTED THROWS ON SAID CRANKSHAFT, A PAIR OF FOOT PEDALS PROVIDED ON SAID THROWS, A PAIR OF HAND LEVERS PIVOTED TO THE FRAME AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SEAT FOR OSCILLATING MOVEMENT IN PLANES PARALLEL TO SAID FRAME, A PAIR OF PLATES SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CRANKSHAFT AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, AND A PAIR OF LINKS INTERCONNECTING THE LEVER AND PLATE AT EACH SIDE OF THE FRAME, EACH LINK BEING SECURED TO THE PLATE AT A POINT SPACED RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE POINT OF SECUREMENT TO THE CRANKSHAFT THEREBY PROVIDING FOR ROTATION OF THE CRANKSHAFT BY OSCILLATION OF THE LEVERS AND OSCILLATION OF THE LEVERS BY ROTATION OF THE CRANKSHAFT. 